Here are some embroidery designs inspired by traditional Japanese sashiko embroidery. Sashiko embroidery is often inspired by surroundings and some embroidery designs can even be traced back to certain areas in Japan. I wanted to represent my local area through these designs. The top design is inspired by leaves and flowers falling and floating on a lake, creating ripples. The second design is inspired by the layers of leaves that you can see when you look up at a tree. The third design is inspired by spring and new growth, it’s supposed to depict roots and plants in the soil. I am planning on using these designs for my final piece.

I was experimenting with screen printing last week- I originally wanted this to be on silk but the silk prints didn’t turn out well so I experimented with muslin and it gives a lovely rustic effect to the piece. The prints were inspired by plants and colours found in the Somerset levels and I then stitched over it using sashiko inspired embroidery to show healing/mending through nature.

The Benefits of natural dye is that it is non-toxic, so therefore better for the environment, as there is no toxic waste produced from this process. The textile industry is responsible for over 20% of industrial water pollution, and natural dyeing is a simple solution-it does use a lot of water but, like I said before, the waste isn’t toxic. Since I am looking at pollution for a part of my “Then and Now” pathway project, I wanted all of my art to be sustainable and have low impact on the environment around me.